How to simulate a retina display (HiDPI mode) in Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on a display without a retina?

Question

How can you simulate retina display (HiDPI mode) on Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on a non-retina display?

Answer 1

• Search , download, and install Apple for free Additional tools for Xcode 8 (for previous versions of Xcode search for graphical tools for Xcode according to your version).
  Note: Requires a free Apple Developer account.
• Launch the Quartz Debug app.
• Go to the menu: Window ---> UI Resolution .
• Check Enable HiDPI display modes .
• Quit Debugging quartz .
• Open System Preferences .
• Select the Displays icon.
• If you are using multiple displays, select the configuration window on the screen on which you want to simulate HiDPI mode.
• In the Resolution: section Resolution: select the Scalable radio button .
• Find the desired resolution marked (HiDPI) and select it.
• Your display now works in HiDPI mode, simulating the display of the retina.

Source: High Resolution Recommendations for OS X

Answer 2

I found the following instructions. This seems to work, and it is much simpler than the Quartz Debug approach.

"Enable HiDPI mode in Mountain Lion without debugging quartz

https://gist.github.com/3191869

In short, run the following commands, log off, log in, and HiDPI permissions are available in the display settings:

 sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool YES sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver DisplayResolutionDisabled 

(In my case, the first command was sufficient, the second command simply prints an error message.)

Answer 3

Edit: (5/31/2016)

For users trying to do this on El Capitan, read the FAQ on the SwitchRes website. In addition, if something else does not work after you have completed all the steps in the FAQ, consider uninstalling and reinstalling SwitchResX. This solved the problem that I was experiencing on one of my laptops.

Original:

After reading several forums, sites, blogs.

I am here to present a solution for users with a 15 "MacBook Pro with a Retina display connected to a Thunderbolt display .

Primarily,

• Terminal command to change plist
• Quartz debug
• Hold and select "Scaling" in the system settings
• ResolutionTab (Mac App Store)

These methods do NOT work for MBPr with a Thunderbolt display for any reason. You will not see the selected HiDPI options.

The only tool I found that actually gives us options is SwitchResX.

However, there is another problem.

Most users with this setting, I believe, try to use 1280x720 HiDPI, because this is half the native resolution of TBD.

According to SwitchResX Frequently Asked Questions , in some cases it is not possible to set this resolution due to an error in OS X itself.

Here is a screenshot for your reference:

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After contacting the developer, he introduced a workaround - adding another pixel - which worked for me.

• Install SwitchResX and open it from the system settings.
• Go to the Thunderbolt Display tab and add custom permissions with Scalable Resolution at 2562 x 1440 Here is a screenshot
• Save using the + s command. (or just close the window and use the prompt)
• Reboot the laptop.
• Go to SwitchResX and select the new custom resolution on the Current Resolution tab. (Sometimes he does not appear immediately, play with him, and he should.)

Here you go.

I hope this answer gets to users with this setting because it really disappoints using 16:10 resolution on a 16: 9 display.

Answer 4

For those who were unable to enable HIDPI on rMBP or the new MBA, I experienced the same thing on my rMBP 15 with Air Display . I solved the problem by installing SwitchResX . If the boolean parameter is enabled as shown in the reference value, the HIDPI setting appears.

Drag and drop seems a bit lagging behind in Air Display, but otherwise works great.

Answer 5

try it

 sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool YES 

[from here]

Answer 6

If your monitor supports it, it may also be worth setting the DisplayPort version to 1.1 instead of 1.2.

I have at the end of 2010 a Mac Air with a Samsung S27D850 display and all kinds of intermittent switching problems until I made this change.

Answer 7

As for me, this is a pretty good application that gives you the ability to change the resolution of whatever you want.

SwitchResX for Mac and MacBook.

This application resolved all my resolution problems.